DAILY GK 1-2 JAN 2026
1. PRADHAN MANTRI MATRU VANDANAYOJANA COMPLETES NINE
YEARS
·
The
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a flagship maternity
benefit scheme of the Government of India (GoI), completed nine years of
implementation, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to support pregnant women and lactating mothers.
·
The
PMMVY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of the Ministry of Women and
Child Development (MoWCD), launched on January 01, 2017.
·
The
scheme aims to provide financial support
to pregnant and lactating mothers to improve maternal wellbeing by ensuring
safe delivery, reduced malnutrition, and wage loss during pregnancy.
·
It
provides free meals, during pregnancy
and six months after the childbirth, through the local Anganwadi is
envisaged so as to meet the nutritional standards.
·
Mission
Shakti: The scheme
launched in 2022, combines various schemes for women’s empowerment, including
financial support and safety.
·
PMMVY
was brought under the Samarthya component of Mission Shakti,
which focuses on economic empowerment and financial inclusion for women.
·
It
is implemented with a funding ratio of 60:40 between Centre and State Governments (SG)
and Union Territories (UTs) with legislature except North East (NE)
& Special Category States where the ratio is 90:10.
·
The benefit is available to a woman for the first two living children provided the second child
is a girl.
·
In
case of the first child the amount of Rs 5000 in two
instalments and for the second child, the benefit of Rs 6000 will
be provided subject to the second child being a girl child in one instalment
after the birth.
2. MOF NOTIFIES NEW TAX STRUCTURE FOR ‘SIN GOODS’
·
The
Ministry of Finance (MoF), notified a revised tax framework for ‘sin
goods’ such as tobacco, pan
masala and others, introducing an additional excise duty and a health
cess to replace the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Compensation Cess, effective
from February 1, 2026.
·
Pan masala, cigarettes, and other tobacco products continue to attract 40%
GST, while biris remain
taxed at 18%.
·
Additional
excise duty is set at 91% for gutkha,
82% for chewing tobacco and jarda
scented tobacco, 33% for hookah, and Rs. 2,050–Rs. 8,500 per 1,000 sticks
for cigarettes based on length and filter.
3.
INDIAN ARMY DECLARES
2026 AS ‘YEAR OF NETWORKING & DATA CENTRICITY’
·
The Indian Army (IA) under the leadership of
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi,
declared 2026 as the ‘Year of
Networking & Data Centricity’.
·
The declaration builds on the 2024–25
‘Year of Technology Absorption’ by operationalising absorbed technologies.
4.
INDIAN ARMY LAUNCHES
COMMUNITY RADIO STATION ‘RADIO SANGAM’ IN RAJOURI, J&K
·
The Indian Army (IA), in collaboration with the
civil administration and local residents, launched “Radio Sangam”, a
Community Radio Station, at Keri village, Doongi block in Rajouri, Jammu and
Kashmir (J&K).
·
This is the first community radio
station along the LoC, established to improve information outreach and
communication with border communities.
·
It broadcasts on 88.8 Frequency Modulation
(FM) from Keri Village.
5.
INDIA
TO ASSUME CHAIRPERSONSHIP OF KIMBERLEY PROCESS
·
India will officially assume the chair of Kimberley Process Certification
Scheme (KPCS), also
known as Kimberley Process (KP), a global initiative to remove
conflict diamonds from the global supply chain, from January 01, 2026.
·
This
is for the 3rd time that India
has been elected Chair of KP.
·
India
will take over the chairpersonship from
the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the current Chair of the
KP.
·
KPCS, established in accordance with the United Nations (UN)
resolution, came into force on January 01, 2003.
·
KP is a tripartite initiative which involves governments, the global diamond
industry, and civil society,
aimed to curb trade in ‘conflict
diamonds’ also known as rough diamonds, used by rebel groups to finance
conflicts globally.
·
At
present, KP has 60 participants, representing 86 countries with
the European Union (EU) and its member states considered as a single
participant.
·
Kimberley
Process (KP): Headquarters- Gaborone,
Botswana.
6. BULGARIA ADOPTS EURO
·
Bulgaria has adopted the Euro(EUR) as its
official currency with effect from January 1, 2026, replacing the Bulgarian lev
(BGN) after more than two decades following approval by the Council of
the European Union(EU) on July 8, 2025.
·
With
the adoption of the euro, Bulgaria became the 21st member of the Eurozone.
7.
INDIA
SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRES ‘K-4’ MISSILE
·
India
successfully test-fired ‘K-4’, an intermediate-range Submarine-launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM),
from Indian Naval Ship (INS) Arighaat, India’s 2nd nuclear-powered submarine, in the
Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, AP.
·
The
K-4, also known as Kalam-4, named after Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
·
The
missile has been indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO)
·
It
was manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Public
Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Defence(MoD).
·
The
missile derived from the Agni-III land-based ballistic
missile, has been upgraded for underwater launch i.e. it uses a cold-launch
system, in which it is expelled from the submarine silo using
high-pressure gas before its rocket motor ignites into the atmosphere.
·
The
missile has a maximum strike range of nearly 3,500 kilometers (kms)
that significantly enhances India’s sea-based nuclear strike capability.
·
The
missile, a two-stage solid-fuel system, has the capability to carry a nuclear warhead
weighing up to 2.5 tonnes.
8.
DRDO
CONDUCTS TEST OF PINAKA LRGR 120
·
The
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully
conducted the maiden flight test of the Pinaka Long Range
Guided Rocket (LRGR 120), at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur,
Odisha.
·
The
Pinaka LRGR 120 is a long-range, precision-guided rocket for the Pinaka
Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), delivering deep-strike and stand-off
engagement capability against high-value targets, while strengthening the Indian
Army’s (IA’s) counter-force and long-range artillery operations.
9.
DHRUV-NG
HELICOPTER
·
Union
Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA),
inaugurated and flagged off the inaugural
flight of the indigenous next-generation civil helicopter Dhruv-NG (Next
Generation) at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facilities
in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
·
A
5.5-tonne, light twin-engine,
multi-role civil helicopter suitable for Very
Important Person(VIP) transport, air ambulance, offshore operations, law
enforcement, disaster relief, and Search
and Rescue (SAR).
·
Maximum
take-off weight 5,500 kilogram (kg),
carries up to 14 passengers.
·
Maximum
speed 285 kilometer per hour (km/h),
range of 630 km, endurance 3 hours 40 minutes, and a service ceiling of 6,000
meter (m).
10.
DRDO
CONDUCTS SALVO LAUNCH OF TWO PRALAY MISSILES
·
The
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully
conducted a salvo launch (simultaneous
firing) of two indigenously developed Pralay missiles in
quick succession from the same launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur,
off the coast of Odisha.
·
Sanctioned
in 2015, the Pralay missile programme is an evolution of the earlier Prahaar
missile, which was first tested in 2011.
·
Pralaya
is a short-range, solid propellant
quasi-ballistic Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM).
·
The
missile has a strike range of about 150-500 kilometer (km). It is
capable of carrying conventional warheads weighing 500 to 1000 kilogram (kg).
